Resources Initiative

 Gender Pay Equity Studies

UW-Madison has a long standing policy that faculty salaries must be based on merit. Nevertheless, the University recognizes that inadvertent salaries inequities may occur for a wide variety of reasons.

In 1992-93, an analysis of UW-Madison salaries demonstrated a pay gap between men and women that could not be explained by age, rank, or years since degree. The administration provided funds to be distributed by individual schools and colleges to under-compensated female faculty.

Subsequent studies in 1995 and 1998 found no aggregate gender gap in salaries, but because gender inequities could still exist on an individual basis, in 2000-01 the university conducted salary reviews for 123 women (~23% of women faculty). 42 of these women (~8% of all women faculty) received merit-based pay increases.

This experience led to the current policy of regularly evaluating salaries to ensure that they are equitable rather than evaluating them only in response to campus studies or individual grievances.

Each faculty member’s salary is evaluated for equity relative to career merit at the following times:

• At the time of each major faculty review and evaluation

  • promotion to associate professor
  • promotion to full professor
  • each five-year post-tenure review
• In the third year of the probationary period
• In response to a request from a faculty member

For more information on conducting a pay equity review see:

• UW Provost's Office Salary Equity Policy
• Guidelines for Implementing the 2000-2001 Faculty Gender Pay Equity Review - these guidelines continue to govern the process. The only difference is that the gender pay equity review in 2000-01 compared the faculty member being reviewed with three comparable males, while the new review process compares the individual with three comparable faculty members regardless of gender. Departments must provide written justification for any salary differences between the individual being reviewed and the three comparable peers.
• University of Wisconsin Redbook - lists salaries of University of Wisconsin employees.
• Faculty Salary Scatterplots fpr 2003-04 by Department -- to facilitate comparison of faculty salaries within a department, these tables present data on gender, rank, salary, years since degree, and date of hire for all faculty on the department's tenure roster. Only faculty have access to these scatterplots and in order to access them faculty must provide the UW username and password they use to enter "MY UW." If you have any questions about the tables or graphs, please contact Margaret Harrigan in the Office of Academic Planning and Analysis at harrigan@vc.wisc.edu or 263-7141.
• 2003-04 Average Faculty Salaries by Department and by Professorial Rank - provides data to facilitate comparison of faculty salaries within a department. Only faculty have access to these data and must provide a username and password to access them. Questions should be directed to Bruce Beck at bdbeck@wisc.edu.
• 2003-04 Average Faculty Salaries at UW-Madison and Peer Universities.

For more information on UW-Madison's efforts to assess and achieve pay equity see:

• "Analysis of Gender Equity in 1997 Faculty Salaries at UW-Madison" by Margaret Harrigan, Office of Budget, Planning and Analysis
• 2000/2001 Gender Pay Equity Review - UW Madison
• University Communications, News@UW-Madison: "Campus addresses salary inequity"
• University Communications, News@UW-Madison: "Provost initiates salary equity review process